Pneumatic press follower



Oct. 2, 1923." 1,469,722

w. GORDON PNEUMATIC PRESS FOLLOWER Filed April 18, 1922 lmvemtw v i Beit knownthat I, VlVirJLIAML RL GbRDoN, v a citizen of theUnitedfStates, residing at Patented ea 2, was.

umrw wILnmi/r R; GORD'OI T, oFeooHEs'rEe'NEw yortrig'essronoa'ro ivosrn,nAsrEtEo-fl TRIO CQMPANY, or BOCHESTCERQNEW verve- CORPORATION or nnwYouK."- U

o PNEnMA-rmreEssFoLLownR,

f Applicati onifiled April3.8,2. e r; ii ips seeee To (ill whom it may concern.

Rochester, in the county- Tof Monroe land State'otNeiv York, have invented[ee'rtain new and useful Improvements in.,Pneu

matic Press'FolloWers; and I do hereby dein a power-press for. holding" the; blank i claret the following to befla full,- clear, and

exact description ofthe invention, suchfias will enable others skilled in the art tolwhich it appertain sto make and use the same. f

i This invention relates to the followefused trictionallyfin position during the operation of the d es ztneuinatic pistons have been us ed, in such (devices for giving the 'neeessary v vyielding pressure; and they, have the ad? vantage that the pressure may besubstantially uniform throughout the stroli e of the press] Since thetspace; Within a press. of

ordinary 'desi gri which is available for. the mechanism of the follower s somewh at1 ited,-it hasbeennecessary use pistons or, moderate diameter,- and ;consequently to furnish SUP-2L1, h gh pressure in order; to pro;-

vide the requisite force.

produce a pneumatic press-follower"which operatesat high pressure, but in which this high pressure isproduced by the action of the. follower itself, compressed air "being v supplied, if at all, from an outsidesourcef fonly at a relatively. low pressure,v such as. that commonly fusedin the supply-systems of factories. i q To the foregoing end the invention j consists' in the mechanism hereinafter described,

' as it is defined in the annexed claims The.accompanyingdrawing is a diagram imatic sectional view, lIlIGlGVZLtlGIl, of, mechanism einhodying the present" invention.

,Since the invention may be applied to -a press of any ordinary design,the c0nstruction of the press is. not. shown in the emw'- ing's-but the ram 1 is indicated. as carrying a, male die 2," which cooperates with a female die 3resting on the'bed 40f the press.

The head 5 of the follower orks through" H the middle of the die 3. The pneumatic with pistons of sin all diameter, and notfa:

novel or essent al feature'ofthe present in} i V is perforated tolprovide: passagei illwhich thefpre's'sure 'belowflthe twoppistons is e'qualized IThistandem"arrangement-of pistons is'.usedfto secure the ,necessaryjfforcel convenient source. of supply, sue-h as pipe 14,1t the bottom: of the cyimderfe; A "p pe 15 also communicating. (through the';pi pe 13) 'With the bottom;ofthecylinder, permits air to escape, through Za-Qehe k valYe "1 6, 10. a ,tank l- 'Z; The valve 161s pib dlwi h means by whlchf itfmay the forciblyi'l-ii'te'd 3 12; which may be, a part of the syste n lcorn; rnoni infactofries', From this pipe itjis ad-r;

emitted, through a pipe'13 andechepkvalye ing a-nut at. its' upperflendand an arm 19",

p'rqi' 'ti r m thw iri m rim arm be ng perforatedsto: receivef the mod}l8;

nut .20 is adjustedto bejengaged' and Slightly V The tank 17 shouldhe large in proportion 8O Y 1 Whi'oh slidesfreely in ,theperforationg The The-object of the present'inventionis to V: 3y

lifted at the upper extremity 'of-"th'e'fupr ,strok e ofitheram; 7

to the'capacity the joylinder 9,; and it is provided with; an: outlet through a relief- I valve-21, this valve beingl adjusted for the pressure which 'is' 'to-he maintained in the 7 11k To economiz i n '-o' r, the outlet is .preferahly -afrtnged togdisoh r n they V upp1y pipe'12. 2

' Assuming hat the pressure maintained inthesupp'ly-pipem is-tOlbs and thatgthe .95 operation oftheapparatus is asfolloivsE At the outset the entire pneumatic system will beTfilled .with air, from the supply 12, i 'at40 lbs.,'a nd thB lI OllQWGI'J will be raised to relief-valve 21 is 'adjusted for lies, the

its i upper limit, as shown. The press-is then permitted to makelai-few. idle strokes. and

at each downstroke: the air in the eylinder, a originally at 40 p r essure,.is-furth er coni- V pre'ssedan'd expelled, through the checkstroke air enters throughf the pip'e1'3 and" valve 16; into the ltankf-ljig'At each lu-p- As soon as the pressureo'ff80lhs.hasbeen iv regul r op 'ratiqrl, The f o116weris r s mitting; air to return from the tank: to the -the cylinder from lbs. to '80 lbs.

as before, by airenterin the cylinder at e0 lbs., but at the end of the up-stroke the valve 16 is momentarily liftechthus per-- cylinder, sufficient to raise the pressure in The a pressure of 80lbs. is maintained substanti of air is then "compressed into the tank, so

that provision is made for whatever leakage is unavoidable infthe' systeinfthe surplus.

being discharged back into the supply-pipe "12. Tlle follower thus acts 'as a'pu np to maintain the air at the pressure necessary I p l for its operation, and the only need for the initial compression of theair in the supply a 12 IS'tO IaISG the follower ancl thus' dispense with the use of springs or mechanism for this purpose.

7 The invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof hereinbe'fore described, fbut ll) may be. embodied-"1n various other forms within the scope ot the, following claims. r V V The 1nvent1on ClllInGCllS'L "1 1. In a press-follower, the combination of a cylinder; a piston therein; means for admitting air to the cylinder for. raising the piston; a pressure-tank, connections between-the tank andthe cylinder; and means in said connections for preventing" flow of air from the tank to'the cylinder during the .up-stroke of the piston, said. means operating to permit such flow after thecomi plet-ion of the up stroke; 1

2. Ina press-follower, the combination of 'a cyl1nder;'a plston thereln; means forad mltting air at relatively low pressure to raise the-piston and fill the cylinder; a tank for air at relatively high pressure; connecs tions between the tank and the cylinder; and means controlling said connections and operating automatically-to vpermit air to,

escape from the cylinderto the'tank during the down-stroke of the piston, but to pre-' vent the return of air from the tank to the cylinder except just at ,or preceding thebes ginning of the down-strokeotithepiston;

3. In a ress-follower the combination or" V P 7 a cylinder; a piston therein; a source of supply o fair at relatively low pressure a.

passage from said source to :the' cylinder,

controlledxby a non-return valve; a tank:

for air at-relatively' high pressure; an automatic,lescape-val've'for controlling the pressure in the tank; a passage fromthe escape- -valve to said source of supply; a passage from th'ecylinder to the tank; and valvefineans controlling the last nien'tioned passage and adapted to permitairi to flow-free ly from the'cylinder to, the tank, to permit air to return to the cylinder from thefta-nk after the substantial completion of the upstroke of the piston, and to prevent the return of air from the tankduring the up-stroke of the piston.

WILLIAM R. eonnon. 

